Hello Everyone,

Before I begin, let me (re)introduce myself. My name is Nathaniel (Nate) Thompson and I am an Earth/Space Science Teacher at Munster High School. I am also the person that is in charge of esports for Munster High School.

Munster High School is on the leading edge of high school esports, not only in the state of Indiana, but also the United States. It is our belief that through esports we can give students a new kind of opportunity to compete in a team based activity. These students are students that would traditionally not participate in any activities. Through esports we are giving them the ability to represent their school in a competition in much the same way as traditional sports in the same team setting.

Having these students be part of esports is helping them to learn communication, interpersonal skills and how to cooperate with others. In the past year we have seen some students really blossom and start communicating with people they would never have talked to. This aspect alone makes esports well worth the value it presents. Remember these are students that would have fallen by the way side. They would not have been in any activities. This gives them an outlet.

Esports is also taking initiative in introducing a physical aspect. This year we are planning on at least 3 days a week of workouts. It is my hope that students see the importance of not only being mentally fit, but also physically fit. This component will be interesting to see as we move through the school year.

Another aspect for students is how to market the esports team and themselves. We are continuing to integrate a marketing aspect into the esports teams. Having the students be at least partially responsible for the Munster Esports name gives them some ownership of how they would like to see esports grow.

Students are going to play games. Why not give them this opportunity to play games in a supervised environment representing their school while learning new skills?

Nathaniel “NateShowww” Thompson